Improvement in seal-locks



NrTEn STATES PATENT Cfr-Tros JACOB KINZER, OF PITTSBURG, PA., ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF, DAVID lVl. WATT, ROBERT PITCAIRN, AND JOHN J. TORLEY, OF SAME PLAGE.

IMPROVEMENT IN SEAL-LOCKS.

Specification fL-rming part of Letters Patent No. 160,337, dated March 2, 1875; application filed December 15, 1874.

CASE G.

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, J AcoB KINZER, of Pittsburg, county of Allegheny, State of APennsylvania, have invented or discovered a new and useful Improvement in Seal-Locks; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, concise, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawing making a part of this specification, in which like letters indicate like parts.

Figure l is a perspective view of my improved seal-lock, with its locking-bolt in an unlocked-position and hinged lid or cover open. Fig. 2 is a detached perspective view of the locking devices, showing in dotted outlines the bolt locked therein. Fig. 3 is a detached sectional view of a tubular case, carrying the spring-catch hereinafter referred to; and Fig. 4 is a face or plan view of the lock-case, having its seal inclosed thereon and the bolt secured therein and sealed, but with the keyhole unsealed.

My invention relates generally to that class of locks which include both a lock and a seal; and it specially relates to a lock in which the sealing and locking devices are so constructed in and combined with the lock-case that the bolt may be sealed and secured therein with or without locking the same.

Referring to the drawing, A represents a plate, carrying at one end the lock-case B, and at the other a mortised guide, A1, through which the hasp-bolt D slides, and is thereby properly guided. Between said lock-case and guide is a staple, A2, through which the hasp-bolt D passes, so as to fasten the hasp in the usual way. The lock-case B is constructed with a hinged cover, B', having a mortise, h', in its iiange s', which, when the cover is closed upon the case, will come directly over a correspondingly-shaped mortise, h, in the lock-case, so that the end of the hasp-bolt D may enter through the same into the lock-case, either for sealing or locking purposes, or both, as the case may be. A hook or catch, d, at one end of the hasp-bolt D, which enters through the mortises, as aforesaid, engages with the lockin g-bolt f of the lock, which is of any ordinary vconstruction other than a spring-bolt. It is,

however, preferably constructed as shown in Fig. 2, and provided with tumblers g, operated by a key in the usual manner. The face-plate b of the lock-case constitutes the seal-seat, and is provided with two ribs, z' t', which serve as supports and guides for the seal. The hinged lid or cover B has a spring, p, secured to its under face for maintaining the seal in proper position, 'an opening, o, through which access maybe had to the seal and key-hole and ilan ges s s', which otherwise close up the seal-seat or chamber when the lid is shut down upon the lock-case. In order to secure the hasp-bolt D in the lock-case Without the use of a key, I make a tubular case, m, Fig. 3, in said case, and arrange therein a catch, n, beveled at its upper end on the side neXt the bolt D, and having a coiled spring, x, around its stem, the action of which will be to force the catch into engagement with the bolt. Said bolt is correspondingly beveled on the under side of its end, and the spring-catch a is, in connection with its case, secured against rotation by a key or feather,'or in other like manner, so that its beveled face shall always be opposite to the beveled face of the end of the bolt. The same result, however, may be obtained by simply rounding the head of the spring-catch. The hasp-bolt has a hole, r, near its beveled end, which is of suitable size and in the proper position to receive the head of thc spring-catch n, which catch will be depressed by the action ofthe beveled surfaces described when the beveled end of the bolt strikes against it, and so remain until, coming into linewith the hole r, it will enter and engage itself therein by reason of the action ofthe coiled spring 1v. The seal z, when located in its seat previous t0 the closing of the lid B', should occupy about the position shown partly by dotted lines in Fig. 4, where it will be held when said lid is closed down by the pressure of the spring p on its rear end, so that access may be had to the keyhole through the opening o for locking the bolt, which, after it has entered the lock-case, secures the lid B upon the same, and is itself secured in the lock-case by the spring-catch, as aforesaid. When it is desired to close the key-hole, so that it can only be reached after the breaking and removal of the seal, said seal is slid along over the key-hole by taking hold of a small lng, l, formed thereon, and the spring p will then, by reason of its elasticity, fall down upon the plate bin the rear of the seal, and thus prevent its being slipped back from over the key-hole. In order to release the hasp-bolt D from its engagement with the spring-catch n, after the seal has been broken and removed, I make a hole, t, in the plate I), which shall be opposite to the beveled head ofthe spring-catch n, so that a pin or wire can be inserted in said hole, and the catch be pushed back far enough to free it from the bolt D and allow the same to drop down unt-il its beveled end shall come partly over the beveled surface of the catch, from which position it may be either withdrawn entirely from the lock-case by hand, or else allowed to drop down by reason of its own weight on the removal of the pin or wire from the hole t. To prevent the bolt from coming entirely out from its guide A1 any suitable stop device may be employed.

If the spring p be not used, it will still be impossible to remove the bolt except by breaklng the seal 5 and to this end the seal and the area of its seat are so proportioned that whichever way it may be slid--t-o right or to left- 1t cannot be made to uncover the hole t, and hence the hole t will be accessible for the removal of the catch a only by the breaking` and removing of the seal.

Instead ofthe sprin g p any suitable pressure device may be employed for holding the seal so that it will not -be liable to move forward over the key-hole, and also in lieu of it any suitable stop device may be employed which, coming into action when the seal is in position over the hole t and the key-hole, shall prevent a movement thereof sufficient for uncovering the hole t.

By this arrangement of the lookin g and sealing devices in and upon a single lock-case constructed with a hinged lid or cover, a simple and effective means is obtained Wherebya cardoor may be sealed and locked, or sealed and fastened without locking, so that it cannot be opened without breaking and removing the seal; or, if neither sealing nor locking with a key is desired, it may be fastened by simply closing the hinged lid and engaging the haspbolt with the spring-catch, in the manner aforesaid.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. A locking-bolt, spring-catch, and hinged lid, in combination with. a seal-seat for holding a seal over both the head of the catch and the key-hole of the bolt, or over the catch alone, at the pleasure of the user, the said devices being arranged in or connected with a single case, and the bolt and catch workin g each independently of the other, substantially as set forth.

2. The hole t, through which to disengage the bolt-catch, arranged in the same seal-seat with the key-hole, in combination with a stop device to prevent the backward movement of the seal when slid forward so as to cover also the key-hole, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof' I have hereunto set my hand.

JACOB KINZER.

Witnesses:

CHAs. G. PAGE, J AMES M. GHRrsrY. 

